There is conclusive evidence that Thomas Jefferson never fathered Sally Hemmings, his young slave.

Significantly, when correcting its original announcement, even Nature ruefully conceded, “It is true that men of Randolph Jefferson’s family could have fathered Sally Hemings’ later children.”

But that important admission as well as the subsequent scholars’ report, were both widely ignored by the media. In fact, PBS’s Frontline, A& E’s Biography, the Washington Post, and others actually had in their possession information that tended to exonerate Jefferson but deliberately omitted it from their reporting. Incidentally, Dr. Eugene Foster, who conducted the DNA testing, had been very clear about the limitations of his testing, but his findings were misrepresented by Joseph Ellis, historian and professor at Mt. Holyoke College. Ellis, who opposed what was happening to President Clinton at the time, had written the sensationalistic “announcement” for Nature, but his personal spin went well beyond Foster’s scientific findings, making his claim unfactual. But perhaps this should not have been surprising. Four years later, in 2002, it was revealed that Ellis had been guilty of publicly lying to his classes on multiple occasions. For example, he told students that he went to Vietnam as a platoon leader and paratrooper in the 101st Airborne and served on General Westmoreland’s staff during the war; he did neither.

He also said that he did active civil rights work in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement and was harassed by the state police for his efforts; again, not true. He even claimed that he scored the winning touchdown in the last football game of his senior year in high school; it turns out he wasn’t even on the team.

Throughout man’s long history on earth, there has been one group of people who have carried the torch of liberty and freedom throughout the ages, from time immemorial until the present day. In these days, their counsel is needed more than ever.